Gay Polk-Payton was born in Hattiesburg, Mississippi to the late Ollie and Fannie Polk and she is the mother of one son, Gaybriel “Kobe” Payton, age 15. She was admitted to the practice of law in the state of Mississippi in September 1996 after completing a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration at the University of Southern Mississippi, a Master’s in Business Administration at the University of New Orleans with Master’s in Business and a Juris Doctor at the University of Mississippi (Ole Miss) School of Law. Gay is a member of the Mississippi, Magnolia and American Bar Associations, the Trial Lawyers Association, the Mississippi Justice Court Judge Association, the Hattiesburg Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta and President of the South Central Mississippi Bar Association. She is currently employed with Forrest County Justice Court where she serves as an elected Judge, she is owner of Polk-Payton Law Office, and she serves as Adjunct Faculty Member with USM’s Human Performance and Recreation Department. She is licensed to practice law in all courts in the State of Mississippi, the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals and in the United States Supreme Court and she is a Certified Fitness Instructor.
Gay is also an accomplished singer. She has been writing songs for more than a decade but released her first single “Real Man” on August 10, 2012. She has performed the National Anthem at an NFL Football game, several annual conferences for the National Association of Drug Court Professionals and the Mississippi Association of Drug Court Professionals, the University of Southern Miss/Coca-Cola Classic rodeo, USM football, basketball, baseball and softball, ACS Cancer Walks, AHA Heart Walks, My Mother’s Heart Foundation walks and galas, the City of Hattiesburg Police Department’s Memorial, 9/11 & DARE programs, National Nights out against Crime and the list goes on. Gay has other songs that she has written, like “Anniversary”, "No one", “I Gave Her Your Heart” and “God Gives Me,” which is a gospel song that is really personal to the artist that addresses the spiritual base that keeps her grounded and stable in mind, body and spirit. She performed the song “Forevermore” for a movie soundtrack more than 10 years ago but she has re-recorded the song for her solo project along with “Church Can’t Save You Now"
